[Air-l] Re: Survey Methodology on the WWW

[John White]

Scott,

Many Thanks for the reference!!  I hope I speak for many others in asking for a
copy of manuscript or slides or whatever you are willing to share! :))

In terms of anecdotes, I'm curious about how/why many of us begain using the
internet as a methodology or even to study.  In my own case, I was technically
savy in the sense I knew what the internet was, something about the technical
structure, and particulary the usefulness of coding using web based technology.
What I wasn't prepared for was the frustration, in terms of learning new
technologies, outages, using resources that belonged (and hence controled) by
someone else, deletion of files (once by a student running the server, once by
myself), the disappearnace of a server, updating software on a server and the
webmaster leaving on vacation the same day, dealing with Human Subjects,
etc...etc....etc...in short, the dirty nasty little details that never get
written up in our formal reports.

Are there any collections of these stories?  And if not, is there any interest
in begining one?

Just a few thoughts...

--JW





Scott_Crawford at marketstrategies.com wrote:

> Overall... to answer these questions, one great place to start is:
> Couper, Mick P. (2000) "Web Surveys:  A Review of Issues and Approaches"
> Public Opinion Quarterly.  V. 64:464-494.
> It includes over 60 references to other papers/presentations that cover the
> topic.
>
> But more specifically...
>
> >1)    What are the differences between paper & pencil methods
> >versus web (including but not limited to cost, design, response, etc)
> I was just involved in a large scale mode experiment between web and mail.
> Results are to be presented at next weeks "Higher Education Center and the
> U.S. Department's 15th Annual National Meeting on Alcohol, Other Drug, and
> Violence Prevention" Conference in DC (http://www.edc.org/hec/natl/2001/).
> For anyone interested, I would be happy to share our slides after the
> presentation is given.  We will also be presenting results from this same
> study as an invited paper at the 2002 International Conference on Improving
> Surveys (http://www.sfi.dk/).
>
> >2)    What, if any, research exists regarding best practices?
> Not a lot yet... considering.  There are a lot of "statements of best
> practices" and other non scientifically based standards.  However, the
> arena of web survey methodology has just begun to be explored seriously.
> Next year at this time, I would expect to see a considerably more stable
> standard practice guide out there.  But good quality research in methods
> takes time.  Anyone asserting that they have "figured out" web research at
> this point of the game doesn't understand all of the implications.
>
> >3)    Surprises, anecdotes, and special skills required to become a
> >seasoned 'net researcher.
> I'd be happy to talk and share my thoughts.  From my perspective... it
> takes a good amount of research skills... coupled with technology saavy...
> coupled with a general understanding of sociology, psychology,
> communications.
>
> **********************************
> Scott Crawford
> Research Director - Social Science Research
> http://www.ms-interactive.com
> 734/542-7796
> 734/661-0323 (fax)
>
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